I was plodding away on an unrelated project when this idea struck me out of nowhere: I should try to find a song by the Beatles to correlate to each of the Major Arcana! It sounded like too much fun to resist, therefore I immediately abandoned what I was supposed to be doing and began furiously scribbling this list.

There’s something magical about the Beatles and Tarot on their own, and combining them was great fun. Some cards brought to mind a song immediately – others required some thought. A few are a bit of a stretch – but a few fit perfectly.

The Fool :: The Fool on the Hill
“Day after day alone on the hill, the man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still. But nobody wants to know him, they can see that he’s just a fool.”

Reading those first few lines of the song, I can vividly see the Waite-Smith depiction of the Fool. There’s a certain melancholy to this song – being a fool can be lonely.

The Magician :: Magical Mystery Tour
“The magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away.”

There’s a ‘step right up,’ feeling to this song. It’s an invitation to enter a realm that is at once familiar, magical, and utterly inventive – the world of the Magician.

The High Priestess :: Let It Be
“Let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.”

Because sometimes the best approach is to simply sit still, receive, and let it be.

The Empress :: Strawberry Fields
“Let me take you down, cause I’m going to strawberry fields… strawberry fields forever.”

This song is lush, sensual, nourishing. It would make a lovely soundtrack to the Empress’ realm.

The Emperor :: Taxman
“I’m the taxman, yeah, and you’re working for nobody but me.”

The Emperor is the Man, keepin’ up structures and systems and making sure you pay your taxes.

The Hierophant :: Eleanor Rigby
“Father Mckenzie, wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave…”

I had a nagging feeling there was a song better suited to this card, yet I had a very difficult time thinking of one. What do you think?

The Lovers :: All You Need Is Love
“Love is all you need.”

There are a lot of Beatles songs about love, so I went with the most obvious.

The Chariot :: Baby, You Can Drive My Car
“Beep beep, beep beep, yeah!”

I mean, do I really need to explain this one?

Strength :: Carry That Weight
“You’re gonna carry that weight a long time.”

This was another difficult card to match to a song, but this will do.

The Hermit :: Nowhere Man
“He’s a real nowhere man, sitting in his nowhere land.”

The Hermit might be alone, but I don’t necessarily think he is lonely. He belongs in his nowhere land.

The Wheel of Fortune :: Here, There and Everywhere
“Changing my life with a wave of her hand…”

Yet another difficult pairing. This is rather bland as far as Beatles songs go, but this particular lyric seems appropriate.

Justice :: Help
“Help me if you can, I’m feeling down. Help me get my feet back on the ground.”

Help someone in need of help and when the scales tip, you’ll get the help you deserve, as well.

The Hanged Man :: Hey Jude
“Take a sad song and make it better.”

This song seems to suggest a new perspective, something the Hanged Man easily adapts.

Death :: Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
“Bang, bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer came down on her head. Bang, bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer made sure that she was dead.”

I do not enjoy this song, but it does talk about death, so there you go.

Temperance :: Hello, Goodbye
“I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello.”

The feeling of mixing hellos and goodbyes brought to mind the blending we associate with Temperance.

The Devil :: Piggies
“You will find the bigger piggies stirring up the dirt.”

Greedy, dirty, materialistic little piggies.

The Tower :: Revolution
“When you talk about destruction, don’t you know that you can count me out.”

But sometimes you have to tear down existing structures to make room for something new.

The Star :: And I Love Her
“Bright are the stars that shine, dark is the sky.”

This was another pairing that came about simply because of lyrical alignment.

The Moon :: Dig A Pony
“I pick a moon dog. You can radiate everything you are.”

Let’s be honest: this song is fucking weird (as are many Beatles songs). I also thought about choosing I’m Only Sleeping. Or Because. Or Across the Universe. They would all fit in the Moon’s trippy realm.

The Sun :: Here Comes the Sun
“Sun, sun, sun here it comes.”

…this one is pretty obvious, right?

Judgement :: Blackbird
“Blackbird singing in the dead of night. Take these sunken eyes and learn to see…take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arrive.”

This is one of my favorite Beatles songs. It is simultaneously sweet and powerful. There’s a feeling of gentle rebirth here.

The World :: Come Together
“Come together, right now, over me.”

Everything comes together in the World, yes?

These are, of course, only my ideas. Do you have any additions or changes? Share your thoughts with me!

Book a private reading with me here.

Subscribe to receive my {free} monthly e-gazette & four {free} guided tarot meditations.